Rahm leads Mexico Open; Green tops Palos Verdes C’ship leaderboard
Mexicocity:worldnumbertwojonrahmopened a two-stroke lead at the Mexico Open on Friday, firing eight birdies in five-under-par 66 for a 36-hole total of 12-under 130 at Vidanta Vallarta.
The Spanish star, the highest-ranked player in the field of the long-established event that is part of the US PGA Tour for the first time this year, steered a steady course in more difficult conditions to break free atop the leaderboard ater sharing the overnight lead with five others.
“Today was a bit more of a grind, but still a really good round of Golf,” said Rahm, who had a two-shot lead over American Alex Smalley.
Smalley had an eagle and five birdies in his fiveunder-par 66 for 132. He was one stroke in front of Americans Adam Long, Andrew Novak, Cameron Champ, Patrick Reed, Trey Mullinax and Brandon Hagy. Former Masters champion Reed, Long and Champ all carded five-under-par 66s. Novak and Hagy signed for 67s and Mullinax shot 69.
Rahm rolled in a 28-foot birdie put at the first hole, but promptly gave a shot back with a bogey at the second. Ater birdies at the third and sixth his “perfect” six-iron at the ninth let him a three and a half-foot birdie put that saw him make the turn at 10-under.
“I think my iron game was really, really good today,” Rahm said. “It was really under control and in those windy conditions I was hiting it really, really solid so, I was never really too surprised where my ball was ending up and I was always in a good position.
“That’s probably why I had so many birdie looks out there today.”
Meanwhile, Hannah Green got off to a hot start on the way to a five-under-par 66 that gave the Australian a three-shot lead on Friday midway through the LPGA Palos Verdes Championship.
Green, who started the day four shots off the overnight lead of compatriot Minjee Lee, wasted no time gaining ground with birdies at the first three holes on the par-71 Palos Verdes course south of Los Angeles. She added birdies at the sixth and seventh and bounced back from bogeys at 12 and 13 with two more birdies at the 14th and 16th.
“I had a lot of close wedge shots today, which was nice because I feel like that hasn’t been the strongest part of my game of late,” Green said.
“I started with three birdies and the longest put
I had was five feet so that’s always nice,” added the Australian, who needed just 25 puts overall.
Green was three strokes clear of a quartet of players that included overnight leader Lee, world number one Ko Jin-young of South Korea, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko and American Megan Khang.
Lee’s two-over 73 was 10 shots worse than her opening round, her lone highlight an eagle at the seventh to go along with four bogeys.
Lydia Ko shook off an early double-bogey to bag five birdies and an eagle in her four-under-par 67.
Ko Jin-young, who started the day one off the lead,alsohadanearlydouble-bogey,andmanaged just one birdie in her one-over 72.
Khang, meanwhile, joined the group sharing second on 136 with a two-under-par 69 that featured five birdies and three bogeys.
Green, seeking her third LPGA tour title, is coming off a runner-up finish to Nasa Hataoka in the LA Open last week.
She wasn’t so sure that was a strong sign for this week, since both of her titles came in weeks ater she had missed a cut.
“I feel like I’ve been hiting the ball really good. This week I feel like I’ve hit it a lot closer. I’m excited to see what the weekend brings.”